


never thinking ahead

by tedrosintheskywithchocolate



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, but some background nicphie and hestadil as well, everyone goes to hogwarts except for arbed house boys bc i h8 them, gryffindor! tedros, ravenclaw! agatha, slytherin! sophie, tagatha centric ofc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24009691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tedrosintheskywithchocolate/pseuds/tedrosintheskywithchocolate
Summary: it had been three months, but all of hogwarts was still buzzing about the breakup.tedros and sophie were a seemingly perfect couple. everyone thought they'd end up married. that is, until he abruptly dumped her the summer before seventh year.tedros was the boy who'd broken agatha's best friend's heart, and she had wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.however, everything started to change when tedros and agatha were made head boy and girl and she realized that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as bad as she'd originally thought...
Relationships: Agatha/Tedros (The School for Good and Evil), Anadil/Hester (The School for Good and Evil), Nicola/Sophie (The School for Good and Evil), past Sophie/Tedros (The School for Good and Evil)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 55





	1. a sea of whispers

Agatha had known that the second they stepped through the wall to Platform 9 ¾, they’d be surrounded by a sea of whispers. But what she hadn’t expected was how much they’d affect her. Her face instinctively flushed crimson when she saw all of the necks craning in their direction. She knew that the pitying glances weren’t directed at her, but she still felt the blush creeping onto her neck. 

“Did you hear the news?” she heard a stout sixth-year in a fluffy Slytherin scarf mutter to a freckled Gryffindor beside him. 

_Oh God,_ she thought.

“Of course I did - _everyone_ did,” his friend snapped. “I’m not that clueless, Bogden. I’m pretty sure even the professors know.”

“I guess that’s understandable, though. I mean, they were Hogwarts’ It Couple or whatever. Not surprised everyone heard about their breakup.”

Agatha felt Sophie stiffen. She gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and shot a glare in the boys’ direction, mentally screaming _shut up, shut up, shut_ UP.

The redhead rolled his eyes at his friend. “Whatever. Anyway, I totally predicted this happening back in third year. The cards never lie…”

“No way! I don’t believe you, none of _my_ predictions ever come true. You better show me your cards on the train, Willam.” The boys walked off, still bickering. 

Agatha exhaled in relief and tightened her grip on Sophie’s hand, pulling her through the crowd. The girls walked quickly but could still hear the incessant talking.

“Kiko, I’m devastated!” a brunette Hufflepuff wailed. “If even Sophie can’t keep a boyfriend, there’s absolutely no hope for me!”

Kiko frowned. “Dot, she’s going to hear you!”

“Did Tedros tell you why he did it?” a blonde Gryffindor boy asked his redhead friend.

“No, he never mentioned them having problems. He didn’t even _tell_ me about the breakup, Chaddick. I’ve literally been owling him all summer and he hasn’t responded once!”

“Yara, stop freaking out. He’s not pissed at you or anything - he’s been ignoring me too.”

Agatha finally broke free of the clump of students and started to pull Sophie towards the train.

“Agatha, stop!” she said, yanking her hand away. Agatha turned to her blonde friend and saw her eyes were brimming with tears. “I can’t do this,” she whispered.

“Yes, you can,” Agatha said firmly. “Look, I’m really sorry I can’t sit with you, but Dovey said us Heads have to go to the Prefect carriage. But I won’t just abandon you - I’ll help you find Beatrix and the girls first. I promise.”

“But what if I see him?” Sophie asked, her eyes frantic. “What am I supposed to say to him? ‘Hi Teddy, how was your summer? I spent most of mine crying over you, but I’m sure you had loads of fun with other girls!’”

“If you do, I’ll be right here with you. Besides, I doubt you’ll see him, our class is massive-”

“Sophie!” a loud voice called. Agatha groaned inwardly. _Great. This day couldn’t be any worse._ The girls turned in its direction and spotted a golden haired Gryffindor dashing towards them. The crowd of students parted for him like the Red Sea.

“Tedros, why haven’t you answered any of our owls?” Chaddick asked him, his face creased in annoyance.

“Sorry-- busy--,” his friend responded without even turning around. Tedros skidded to a stop in front of the girls, his expression hopeful. Agatha stepped forward, eyes narrowing in anger, but Sophie stuck out her arm to stop her.

“It’s fine, Aggie,” she told her, voice shaking. “I can handle this.”

The blonde Slytherin crossed her arms across her chest in a nonchalant manner. Only Agatha saw that she was trying to hide the fact that she was trembling like a leaf. “Hello, Teddy,” she said matter-of-factly. “How was your summer?”

Tedros smiled at his ex-girlfriend nervously. “Hey, Sophie. Could we talk?” His eyes darted around the platform as if he was noticing the crowd of eavesdroppers lurking behind him for the first time. “Er… in private?”

Abruptly, she stopped trembling and steeled herself. “I think you’ve said quite enough, Teddy,” she responded coolly. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I haven’t seen my friends in months and would quite prefer to talk to them than to you.” Sophie turned and walked away briskly, crystal slippers clinking on the floor. Agatha quickly followed her, leaving a dumbfounded Tedros behind. He shook himself out of his stupor and sprinted after the girls.

“Sophie, stop it! Just listen to me,” Tedros said, blocking the train entrance.

“Get out of my way,” she said quietly. Despite the calmness of her voice, something about it sent shivers down Agatha’s spine. _Wow, I hope Sophie’s never this furious with me_ , she thought. Tedros looked nervous but forged ahead. 

“Look, I know you’re really upset with me-”

“‘Upset’ doesn’t cut it,” Agatha interrupted. “You really hurt her, Tedros.” He threw her an annoyed glare.

“Agatha, sorry, but this isn’t really any of your business.” He turned back to Sophie with a pleading expression. “Soph, please, if you’ll just let me explain-”

“Why can’t you get it into your thick head?” she snapped. “I do not want to talk to you. Not now, not ever.” Her emerald eyes darkened. “Now get the hell _out_ _of_ _my_ _way_.”

After leaving a baffled Tedros behind on the platform, she and Sophie hurried through the corridors in search of Sophie’s friends. As soon as she’d turned her back on her ex-boyfriend, Sophie had dropped her cold, unaffected expression and burst into tears. 

Agatha had spent the next half hour trying in vain to comfort her miserable best friend while still looking for Beatrix and the rest of the girls. She finally found the group in a carriage at the very end of the train at a table overflowing with treats from the trolley. 

Beatrix took one look at Sophie’s tear-streaked face, arched a thin eyebrow at Agatha, and coolly said, “I can take it from here.” The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes but relinquished her hold on her friend’s hand. 

Sophie launched herself into the blonde’s outstretched arms. “Bea, I- I saw Teddy on the platform,” she hiccupped. “He said he needed to talk to me… I wouldn’t let him. And I don’t _want_ to talk to him. Ever. But I also just miss him, so, so, much…”

The rest of the girls formed a huddle around their friend, comforting her with tight hugs.

“You’re going to be okay, Soph,” Reena told her. “We’re here with you.”

“You know what’ll totally make you feel better?” Millicent said brightly. “We got loads of Chocolate Frogs from the trolley lady! Want one?”

Sophie shot her redheaded friend a glare. “Millie, you _know_ what chocolate does to my thighs! Why would you even-”

Agatha silently slipped out of the carriage while the girls talked and let out a sigh of relief. Of course Sophie was her best friend, but she wasn’t really close to the rest of the girls. And even though she loved Sophie, sometimes she was a little too much, even for Agatha. Sometimes, she just needed a break from her friend. And being Head Girl that year was the perfect excuse.

Back in fifth year, Agatha had tried to be happy for Nicola when she was elected Ravenclaw’s Prefect. She knew that her friend had worked incredibly hard for it and deserved it wholeheartedly, but every time she saw a beaming Nicola wearing her shiny blue badge, a little part of her wanted to rip it off her robes. She’d gotten better at hiding her jealousy over the years, but her heart had still twinged painfully whenever she saw her friend doing her rounds with the rest of the Prefects.

That summer, when a tawny owl had rapped on Agatha’s window pane, clutching an envelope with a letter and a golden Head Girl badge, she’d been positive it was a mistake. A quick glance at the letter, which displayed her name in big, bold letters, had allayed her fears. She was determined to be a great Head Girl and prove to Headmistress Dovey that she deserved her position. Nothing, not even an irritating Head Boy companion, could ruin this for her.

Agatha inhaled deeply and slid the Prefect train carriage door open. She spotted Hester talking to Nicola and the other Slytherin prefect. The girls gave her a little wave and she waved back, a smile spreading over her face. Agatha scanned the room for the new Head Boy, forehead wrinkling in confusion when she didn’t spot him anywhere. A finger tapped her on her shoulder, making her jump. She turned and locked eyes with Tedros.

“Er… hello, Agatha,” he said with a sheepish smile. “Um, I guess we’ll be getting to know each other better this year!” 

Her eyes zeroed in on the polished Head Boy badge pinned to the front of his robes.

Agatha’s smile vanished.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to hannah for reading this over before i published it. love you!
> 
> also, thanks to my sister soph for coming up with a good ass title in 5 minutes after i spent two days agonizing over it. (this girl doesn't read sge - smh.) 
> 
> ^if you're confused abt the title, it's a pun since agatha's the head girl. duh.
> 
> don't bully me in the comments pls bc this is my first multi-chapter fic but still, be honest :).


	2. swimming with the squid

“Can you believe this is our last Sorting ever?” Nicola said, wistfully munching on a lamb chop.

“Thank God,” Anadil deadpanned. “I thought this moment would never come.”

Nicola put down the lamb, scowling at her friend. “Ani, why do you always have to be such a cynic? It’s our last year at Hogwarts, so we might as well enjoy it, right? Besides, the Sortings are always fun.”

Anadil scoffed. “You’re just saying that because we’re seventh-years and you’re feeling sentimental. Remember last year, when you asked me to jinx you on the train so you could spend the night in the infirmary instead of having to sit through, and I quote, ‘yet another mind-numbingly boring, time-consuming-’”

“Okay, fine, I’ll admit, the Sortings haven’t always been the most exciting moments of my life,” Nicola laughed, her scowl vanishing. 

“Understatement of the century,” said Anadil. “It’s a two hour event where we watch total strangers wear a hat. Besides, it’s so irritating that it’s the one meal of the year where we’re actually required to sit in our houses.”

Nicola stared at her. “Oh my god.”

“Hm?” responded Anadil.

“Ani, you’re practically the opposite of being subtle.”

Anadil frowned in confusion. “What in the world are you talking about?”

“Come on,” said Nicola, giving her friend a knowing look. “It’s so obvious why you’re upset about having to sit in our houses. You don’t have to hide it.”

“Hide what, Nic?” she asked nonchalantly. “The fact that I think it’s stupid that the professors try to enforce separation between the houses, because it just causes more conflict?”

Nicola rolled her eyes. “ _No,_ the fact that you’re only this annoyed because you’re not allowed to sit with your girlfriend.”

Anadil glared at her friend but couldn’t disguise the light pink blush spreading across her pale face. “Hester is _not_ my girlfriend,” she said slowly. “We, um… haven’t exactly put a… label on it yet.”

Nicola let out a snort. 

“Besides,” Anadil continued, upper lip stiffening. “Don’t be a hypocrite. We’ve all noticed your fixation with that Hufflepuff boy. I’m sure you’d _love_ to be sitting with him right now.”

“Hort and I are _friends,_ Ani. Not every interaction I have with a boy means I’m head over heels in love with him. And stop changing the subject! We were talking about you and Hester.”

“I’d prefer it if you stayed out of my love life.”

“I’d prefer it if you actually _told_ me about what’s going on in your life for once so I didn’t have to continuously make guesses-”

“Guys!” Agatha interrupted. She glanced around the Great Hall and turned back to the girls, lowering her voice. “Can you please stop bickering? Everyone’s staring.”

Her friends turned to face her.

“Sorry, Agatha,” Nicola responded sheepishly. “And, um… Ani, I’m really sorry for invading your privacy with Hester. I didn’t know it upsets you so much when I mention it.”

“You’re forgiven,” Anadil said coolly. Her expression softened. “And for the record, I’m sorry, too.”

Agatha exhaled heavily. “Good,” she said. “A couple of hours into the school year and I’m already having loads of problems. Can’t handle yet another lengthy and overly dramatic argument between you two.”

“Hey, Agatha, what’s going on between you and Tedros?” asked Nicola. “I could tell there was lots of tension on the train, and I heard something about you two arguing in front of the first-years…”

“It’s nothing,” said Agatha. Both girls raised their eyebrows, clearly not believing her. She groaned. “Okay, fine, I’m still angry about what he did to Sophie. Also, he’s just generally an insufferable person. Don’t know why Dovey picked him for Head Boy.”

“What exactly did he do?” Nicola asked carefully. “To Sophie, I mean.”

Agatha’s nostrils flared. “I don’t think it’s really my place to say,” she responded, trying to control her anger.

Nicola frowned. “But-”

“That’s okay,” Anadil said, smoothly cutting her friend off. Nicola opened her mouth to speak again and she shot her a glare. “You don’t have to tell us.”

“Oh, look, here come the first-years!” Nicola announced with over exaggerated excitement, obviously trying to change the subject. 

The Groundskeeper flung open the doors to the Great Hall, leading in a long line of first-years. They gazed in awe at the star-studded ceiling, the hundreds of floating candles, the large spread of food along the four long tables… 

One first-year boy noticed Agatha and gasped, nudging the girl next to him. The pair lapsed into hushed whispers, covertly glancing at her every few seconds. Agatha’s face flushed red, which she hoped would be hidden by the candles’ shadows. The first-year girl pointed towards a figure at the Gryffindor table and Agatha immediately forced her eyes away. 

The Headmistress stood up and the Great Hall instantly hushed, waiting for her to speak. She smiled kindly at the first-years.

“Welcome, everyone, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My name is Clarissa Dovey and I will be your Headmistress for your time at Hogwarts. Without further ado, let’s begin the Sorting. Professor Merlin, if you may?”

A professor with a long, white beard flicked his wand languidly in the direction of a plain brown stool. The Sorting Hat materialized on it with a shower of sparkles, accompanied by the excited gasps of the first-years. 

The shabby brown hat opened its mouth and launched into its song about the school. Agatha tuned out the history lesson and House descriptions, which she’d heard six times before. She tried letting her mind wander but kept thinking back to the way the first-years had stared at her. _What if they tell Dovey what happened?_

She snuck a glance at the squat Groundskeeper and they made eye contact. His scowl deepened. _Great,_ she thought. _Even if the first-years don’t tell her, Yuba definitely will._

Agatha turned back to the Sorting Hat and listened to the song’s conclusion, hoping it would distract her from her troubling thoughts. But instead of spouting the usual mushy nonsense about House unity, its song had taken a more serious turn.

“Take caution, dear young first-years,” sang the Hat in its scratchy voice,

“While you listen to my song.

Remember you’re no better than your peers,

Regardless of where you belong.

Although your Houses seem enticing

It’s always Hogwarts that should matter most.

You see, I’ve noticed growing divisions 

Even the most innermost.

“Two seventh-year students have potential to do great things,

But sown discord may cause some conflict, I dread.

They must get over their differences, their problems, their fights…”

The Sorting Hat trailed off, mid-verse. Students murmured to one another, confused about who it was talking about. 

“The Hat’s never mentioned any specific students,” whispered Nicola.

The Sorting Hat turned to face Agatha and she stiffened. 

“They must realize the consequences if they don’t stop to think a- _head,_ ” it concluded, eyes boring into her. She couldn’t rip her eyes away from the disdainful stare of the Hat and gazed back helplessly.

Abruptly, the Sorting Hat turned to face the first-years and its mouth widened into a smile.

“Let the Sorting begin!”

Headmistress Dovey stepped forward, scroll in hand. “When I call your name, please step forward to be sorted,” she said with an inviting smile. “Arborea, Valentina.”

The girl who’d been whispering about Agatha to another first-year stepped away from her peers and walked slowly towards the brown stool.

Still trying to understand the meaning of the Sorting Hat’s words, Agatha glanced at the Headmistress. Dovey locked eyes with her, her smile fading. She raised her eyebrows at her pointedly and turned back to face the Sorting Hat.

Agatha got her message loud and clear. _Yuba already told her,_ she thought. _Great._

Only an hour beforehand, Agatha had stepped off the Hogwarts Express, fuming. Tedros had followed her, keeping a few feet of distance between them. She had headed towards the thestral carriages but was stopped by Dovey.

“Agatha!” she’d exclaimed with a bright smile. “So lovely to see you. Look, I know you’re probably looking forward to going up to the school with your friends by carriage but I was hoping you could do me a favor.”

Agatha had quashed her disappointment and forced a smile. “Of course. What is it?”

“Yuba’s supposed to lead the first-years up to school across the lake. He’s running a bit late so I was wondering if you and Tedros could take them instead.”

Agatha had resisted the urge to groan. _I just got off the train and I already have to work with_ him _?_ she’d thought in exasperation. _This is going to be a long year._

“Actually, I think I could probably handle that by myself,” Agatha had said, plastering her smile back on. “Tedros seems really… tired. He should just go by carriage instead.”

The Headmistress had wrinkled her nose. “Well, Agatha, I suppose that’s very… _noble_ of you, but I think it’s best that you do this together. After all, you’ll be working together all year!”

“Yes,” Agatha had responded with clenched teeth. “Wonderful.”

After the Headmistress left, Agatha had headed towards the Black Lake, Tedros trailing after her. 

“I’m actually not that tired,” he had told her brightly. “But thanks for checking on me. That’s actually really nice of you.”

She’d stopped and stared at him. _Is he for real?_

“I wasn’t checking on you,” she had snapped. “I was trying to get out of spending extra time with you.”

Tedros had faltered, his smile fading. “You’re joking, right?”

“Nope,” she’d said, shooting him a cold glare. “Dead serious.”

Agatha sped up, trying to send him the message that she wanted their conversation to be over. But Tedros kept pace with her easily, saying, “I know you’re mean to me because you’re friends with Sophie, so you dislike me by association. But we’re going to be seeing each other so often this year that we might as well be civil, right?”

She’d ignored him and turned to the clustered group of first-years, beaming. “Hello everyone, welcome to Hogwarts. I’m Agatha, your Head Girl-”

“And I’m Tedros. Head Boy.” Tedros had flashed his infamous megawatt smile at the students. Agatha had heard a collective sigh from the young girls and groaned inwardly. _Great. They already love him._

“Don’t interrupt me,” she’d told him, teeth still clenched in a false smile. “As I was saying, first-years traditionally go up to Hogwarts in boats across the Black Lake. Unfortunately, the Groundskeeper Yuba is running a bit late, so Tedros and I will be taking you.”

“Isn’t this dangerous?” asked one of the boys. “My brother said there’s a Giant Squid in the lake.”

“Don’t worry, you’re going to be perfectly fine. The squid isn’t dangerous, just nosy,” she’d told him. “And besides, you’re already in the company of someone arguably more irritating,” she’d muttered under her breath.

Tedros had scowled. “I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

“You heard me,” she’d said coolly. “Okay, first-years, please form groups of four-”

“No, hang on, I want you to repeat what you just said about me.”

“I already _told_ you not to interrupt me when I’m talking, Tedros.”

He’d groaned in exasperation. “Agatha, can you please just be _nice_ to me for once? Or at least slightly more professional? What’s going on between Sophie and me has absolutely nothing to do with you, or with our jobs as Heads.”

“Excuse me? _You’re_ lecturing me about being nice? You’re nothing but a hypocrite. And besides, Sophie’s my best friend. Of _course_ I’m part of what’s going on between you.” 

The first-years’ heads had swiveled back and forth between the pair like they were watching a tennis match.

“Last time I checked, Sophie and I were the ones who dated for two years. Not you and me. So it’s none of your business.”

“Sophie told me everything. Why you broke up. What you _did_ to her,” Agatha had seethed, stepping closer to him. “I have no obligation to be nice to you after you did _that_ to my friend. _None_ .” She had jabbed him in the chest with her finger, eyes narrowing. “And for the record, I would _never_ go out with you.” She had given him a shove. 

Tedros had opened his mouth to let out a retort but her push had toppled him into the lake. He had let out a strangled gasp as he plunged headfirst underwater. One of the first-year boys had laughed awkwardly.

 _Oh my god, did I just kill him?_ Agatha had wondered in horror. The next few seconds before he’d resurfaced had been agonizing. By the time Tedros had finally crawled back up the grass bank, humiliated and freezing cold, Yuba had arrived.

He’d shot the two of them a fierce scowl and said, “Last year’s Heads were better.”

“SLYTHERIN!” bellowed the Sorting Hat, snapping Agatha out of her thoughts. The first-year named Valentina beamed with pride and strode over to the table. Agatha saw Sophie and Beatrix greet the girl and then continue their conversation. 

Dovey called the next student to the stool but Agatha didn’t even hear their name. _How in the world did the Sorting Hat know about my argument with Tedros?_ she wondered. Almost against her will, she turned towards the Gryffindor table. They locked eyes.

He had been watching her.

Tedros glared at her, his clothes still noticeably wet, and turned away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i suck at anything somewhat similar to poetry so don't judge my Sorting Hat song too harshly. (even though the rhymes aren't the best lol.) also, i referenced the title in the last line because puns are fun :)
> 
> i know that technically, nicola (and bogden, for that matter) should be a first-year with valentina, but i wanted her to be part of this fic. (and i can't have hicola or nicphie if there's a six year age gap because gross.)
> 
> i procrastinated writing this chapter for a while but then wrote 2k words in one day so yay for strange writing habits!


	3. a truce gone astray

“You pushed him into the _lake?"_ exploded the Headmistress.

Agatha stared down at her shoes, fervently wishing that the ground would swallow her up.

“Unbelievable,” Dovey fumed. “Not only did you two fail to do the extremely simple task I gave you, you had an argument in front of the entire first-year class. Which resulted in the Head Boy being shoved into the lake!”

“Professor, if you’d just let me explain-”

“You and Tedros have a great responsibility as Head Boy and Girl. You are meant to represent everything that Hogwarts stands for! Instead, you have made yourselves into _laughingstocks._ ”

The Headmistress glared at her. “How do you think the first-years will ever respect you after this? What about the rest of the student body?”

Agatha hung her head in shame. “I’m truly sorry for what happened. I shouldn’t have let it get so out of hand.”

The Headmistress’ expression softened. She sat down in the armchair beside Agatha’s, pulling a sugarplum out of her gumdrop studded desk. 

“Look, Agatha,” she said. “I didn’t call you into my office just to yell at you.”

She paused, handing the girl the candy and grabbing one for herself. 

“I chose you as Head Girl because I know you’re passionate about this school, a hard worker, and I knew you’d do a great job.” Her expression hardened to a stern frown. “However, it’s only the first day and you’ve already caused so much chaos. You need to prove that you’re serious about this position or I’m afraid I’ll have to take it away.”

Agatha blanched, dropping the sugarplum. “Professor, _no_! I do care about it, I swear. You have to believe me.”

“I do want to believe you, Agatha, but your behavior in front of the first-years says otherwise.”

“But that wasn’t my fault!” she blurted out. Words spilled out of her before she could stop them. “Tedros was _provoking_ me. If the Head Boy was somebody else, I wouldn’t be having any problems with him whatsoever. He’s unqualified for this job, he’s immature… he wasn’t even a Prefect. _He’s_ the problem, not me!” She clapped her hands over her mouth but the damage had already been done.

“It seems to me that the one lacking maturity is _you_ ,” the Headmistress replied coldly. Agatha recoiled in shock. “I don’t care whatsoever about what’s happened between the two of you in the past or what has brought on your hatred for him. What matters is that you two have been given the privilege of this prestigious position. If you can’t prove to me that you deserve it, I’ll have no qualms about _replacing_ you.”

The Headmistress stood up abruptly, turning away from her student. “And need I remind you that _you_ were not a Prefect either.” 

Agatha trudged towards the door, her vision blurred by hot tears of shame. _You couldn’t even last one day with him?_ she berated herself. _Dovey’s right. I need to show her that I care._ She whirled around. “How can I prove to you that I shouldn’t be replaced?”

“You can start by doing tonight’s rounds with Tedros,” Dovey replied. “If you can spend two hours alone together without starting any more arguments, I’ll know you’re mature enough to continue as our Head Girl.” Agatha stared at her, speechless. _Two whole hours?_

The Headmistress spun around with a frown. “You can go now,” she said coolly, shooing the student away. 

Agatha walked into the Heads dormitory and threw herself onto the nearest couch. _It’s only the first day of seventh year and Dovey already hates me,_ she fumed. _Why couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut instead of babbling on about Tedros?_

The door opened with a bang and she heard loud, squelching footsteps. She sat up eagerly and spotted a dripping Tedros heading towards one of the two rooms. 

“Tedros, hello,” she said breathlessly, following him. “Look, I just wanted to say I’m really sorry about-”

The door to the room slammed shut behind him, catching on the front end of Agatha’s black clump.

Her shock morphed rapidly into anger and she banged on the door. 

“Go away,” he said sullenly.

“I’m not leaving until you open this door.”

The door swung open. She recoiled. His ever-present, dazzling smile had been replaced by a burning glare. 

“I, um-” she stammered. He started to close the door again. “Wait, hold on-”

He crossed his arms. “What do you want?”

“Dovey wants us to do tonight’s rounds together,” she blurted out. She swallowed. “Um, just the two of us.”

“Fine,” Tedros said, striding towards the dormitory exit. He shot back an annoyed glance at Agatha, who was still frozen in place. “Aren’t you coming?”

One hour had passed and neither of them had said a word. 

_Talk to him, idiot!_ Agatha shouted at herself inwardly. _Tell him about everything Dovey said, tell him you’re sorry about the whole lake thing…_

_But that’s not exactly true, is it? Does it count as lying even if it’s for a good cause?_

She snuck a glance at Tedros, who was glowering at the floor while he walked. 

_Stop thinking about whether it’s morally correct or not to tell him you’re sorry! Just say something. Anything._

She opened her mouth but no words came out. 

“Uh, Agatha, why are you gaping at me like a fish?” 

Agatha flushed bright red. “Sorry- I just-” 

“Do I have that much of an effect on you?” he sniggered.

“What?” she said, staring at him blankly. She cleared her throat. “I, uh, just wanted to let you know why we had to do tonight’s rounds.”

He scoffed. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Well, you see, um, Headmistress Dovey called me into her office after dinner. Basically, Yuba told her about what happened in front of the first-years, you know, at the lake-”

“Yeah, I remember,” he interrupted, glancing at the soggy hem of his robes.

“Anyway, she was super angry and said that if we can’t prove we deserve to be Heads she’ll, um, replace us. Maybe not both of us, probably just me…” she rambled on, unable to stop herself. “She’s obviously upset with you too but just seemed really disappointed in me. I don’t know. So I have to prove I’m mature enough to be Head Girl starting tonight on these rounds.”

She turned to face him, avoiding eye contact. “Also, I wanted to add about the lake thing… You were right, I was being totally unprofessional. And even in Dovey’s office, I just started blaming you for everything even though our argument was mostly my fault. I suppose what I’m trying to say is, well, I’m sorry,” she finished lamely.

They stood in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

“Well, I guess I sort of overreacted as well.”

She glanced up, startled.

“Truce?” he asked, extending his hand outwards. Agatha stared at his outstretched hand.

“Truce,” she agreed, and then shook it. 

“It’s so weird that we haven’t seen anyone out of bed yet,” he said, glancing around the hallway. “Don’t loads of people break curfew on the first night of school?”

“Yeah. Odd.”

The pair continued walking, lapsing back into the awkward silence. Agatha spotted the stairwell that led up to Ravenclaw’s tower and was overwhelmed by a wave of emotion. Part of her wished fervently that she could go back to her old dormitory. She’d give so much to be back in her room, talking to Anadil and Nicola. Even though they’d never been particularly close to the rest of their roommates, she felt a pang of sadness thinking of all of the girls having fun together while she was stuck with a Gryffindor boy she barely knew. 

“I miss them too.”

Agatha snapped out of her thoughts. “Who?”

“My roommates.”

She blanched. _How’d he know what I was thinking?_

“Don’t worry, I’m not a Legilimens,” he laughed. “I just saw the way you were looking at those stairs. They go to Ravenclaw tower, right?”

She nodded, speechless.

“There could be some Ravenclaws sneaking out and breaking curfew,” he said. “Might as well check, right? It is our job, after all.”

Agatha wanted to retort that no self-respecting Ravenclaw would purposefully skip curfew but instead found herself agreeing with him.

A first-year girl was sitting with her back to the bronze door, sniffling. As soon as she noticed the two seventh-years, she wiped her tears away quickly and forced a smile. 

“What in the world are you doing breaking curfew?” Agatha asked, frowning.

The girl’s smile wavered and she burst into sobs. “I’m- I’m sorry, I didn’t want to break any rules but I got lost after dinner and couldn’t find the tower for _ages_ and now that I’m finally here, I can’t answer the stupid riddle! I just want to go _home_.”

Tedros shot Agatha an irritated look and kneeled next to the girl. “Hey, calm down, you’re okay,” he said. “What’s your name?”

“Laralisa,” she hiccupped. 

“Don’t worry, Laralisa, you’re not going to get in trouble. I’m Tedros and that’s Agatha. We’re-”

“Head Boy and Head Girl, I know,” Laralisa said, cracking a small smile. “I saw her push you into that lake.”

Agatha felt her face burning up. _Why does everyone have to mention that all the time?_

She glanced back at Tedros, who was now immersed in a conversation with the first-year. Laralisa was laughing hysterically at one of his jokes, her tears finally drying, while he smiled back at her. 

Agatha felt out of place. She’d never been great with kids, but this was a whole new level. _I said one thing to this girl and she started crying,_ she marveled. _Meanwhile, Tedros is being all chummy with her all of a sudden. How the hell is he so good with kids?_

“Hey, Laralisa?” she blurted out. Both of them turned around to face her and she felt even more awkward. “I’m sorry I upset you. Of course you won’t get in trouble for this.”

The first-year smiled at her. “Thanks. Though I still don’t have a way to get in the common room…” 

“Oh, right,” Agatha said. “I actually solved the riddle for you a couple of minutes ago. But if you ever have trouble getting into the tower again, you can always ask me-”

She got cut off by Laralisa, who gave her a massive hug while thanking her profusely. Startled, Agatha froze for a few seconds before hugging her back.

“Good job back there with that first-year,” Tedros told her as they headed towards their dormitory door. “That thing you said about helping her solve the riddles in the future was really nice.”

“Well, I had to one-up you in some way. I mean, I’d just accidentally made the girl cry, and you were over there being all heroic and stuff.”

He laughed. “Whatever. You know, I was really nervous for this year but we make a pretty good team. All we have to do is keep proving it to Dovey.” He smiled at her.

A tentative smile spread over Agatha’s face. “Yeah, I guess we do.”

“Good night,” he called over his shoulder, heading towards his room.

“Good night.”

Agatha stepped into her room, horror dawning on her.

She’d been nice to Tedros. She’d even _smiled_ at him. But even though part of it had been to be professional and prove to Dovey that she was mature, part of it had been because she’d genuinely enjoyed talking to him. 

_What is happening to me?_

Crushing shame overwhelmed her. This was Tedros, the boy who’d hurt Sophie beyond belief. Who’d broken her best friend’s heart. And she was acting like he was her _friend?_

Agatha slid to the floor, gulping down breaths.

She needed to stay away from him. 

_So much for that truce._


End file.
